


A New Leaf

by EldritchSandwich



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Drinking & Talking, Drunken Kissing, F/F, F/F Diversity Bingo, First Kiss, Fluffy Sandwich, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 11:50:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7221259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EldritchSandwich/pseuds/EldritchSandwich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the defeat of the Sentinel, Athena comes back to Concordia to take Janey up on her offer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Leaf

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of Femslash Revolution's 2016 F/F Diversity Bingo event.

Janey looked up from her work as someone knocked on the doorframe.

Well, her 'work.' She'd been too worried to really do anything except stare at her shop table, screwing and unscrewing the same panel over and over again. Really, though, wasn't that an entirely reasonable response to the knowledge that the entire moon could get blown up by an insane ancient alien horror type thing any second? If anything, she was rather proud of the fact that she was still at her post instead of getting drunk at Moxxi's like everyone else who knew what was really going on.

She swiveled her stool, making a mental note to grease it since it was squealing again. "Sorry, we're not..." Janey trailed off as the figure standing in her doorway frowned awkwardly. Janey swallowed. "Athena."

The former Atlas assassin tried to smile. It didn't work. "Springs. I mean, Janey. I mean...hi."

Janey swallowed again. "Hi." She tried to think of something else to say, then settled for "You're back."

Athena nodded. "Yeah."

"Does that mean...is it..."

"It's done."

Janey nodded carefully. "You're...alone?"

Athena shrugged. "It's done. We all...went our separate ways. Nisha and Wilhelm...they stayed with Jack—"

"Athena—"

"I think Claptrap went back to Pandora—"

"Athena—"

"And I just...I didn't know what to—"

"Athena!" As the erstwhile Vault hunter finally looked up at her, Janey rose from the stool and spread her arms. "C'mere."

The hardened warrior practically collapsed into her arms. The force of it almost knocked Janey over, the smell of blood and sweat and grime and alien...whatever filling her nose and the feel of Athena's strong fingers digging plaintively into her back breaking her heart. She started taking deep breaths, in and out, her chest expanding against Athena's armor with every one, and soon the gladiator was copying them.

"I feel like..." Athena muttered, then shook her head against Janey's chest. Janey just stroked a hand through the dark, warm waves of the seasoned mercenary's incongruously elegant hair.

"It's okay, darlin'," Janey murmured against the top of her head. "You don't have to say anything until you're ready."

After a few more breaths, Athena's grip loosened, and Janey pulled back to look at her face. 'Haunted' was the word. Athena inhaled deeply one last time, and then when she exhaled she tried to smile again. This time, it almost worked. "You owe me a drink." Janey blinked down at her in confusion. Athena shrugged, almost defensively. "On Helios. After...you said you'd buy me a drink."

Janey smiled. "My dear lady, you're absolutely right."

* * *

Moxxi's was...crowded. The horde of people drinking to forget that the world was about to end had turned into an even bigger horde of people drinking to celebrate that it hadn't, and Janey only had to feel Athena tense up next to her the second they were in the door and the noise and smells of the crowded club washed over them to know that this was the last thing Athena needed. So she squeezed Athena's hand, pushed through the crowd just long enough to buy the most expensive bottle she could afford, and now they were sitting in Janey's garage, feet dangling over the edge of the open hangar, staring out over the surface of the moon.

Athena took a tentative sip of the glowing purple liquid Janey had poured out for her, then pulled the most adorable face. "What, uh...what is this, exactly?"

Janey took a sip of her own and winced at its...unique interpretation of the concept of a beverage. "Well, the B4R-BOT said it was 'Quintuple-Distilled Pandoran Sour Desert Plum Spice Brandy,' which I think is robot for 'I don't have a bloody clue but it's forty percent alcohol so who gives a crap.'"

A tiny gasping sound escaped Athena's throat, and Janey's head swiveled toward it in shock so fast that she almost spilled her drink, which no doubt would have eaten through the floor. What she saw was the corner of Athena's mouth ticked up in a lopsided, genuine smile. Holy shit...did Athena just...laugh?

Janey didn't realize how creepily and unsubtly she was staring until Athena turned to face her, the smile disappearing. "What? Is...what's wrong?"

Janey shook her head frantically, again almost spilling her drink. She decided to take another swig, both to reduce the odds of that happening and to help cover the flush in her cheeks at having been caught thinking that Athena was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen when she laughed. "Nothing. No, sorry. Don't mind me."

Athena looked at her a moment longer, then nodded and turned back to the vista of barren moon. There was a moment of silence as both women sat there, unsure what to do except sip their drinks and wince a little less each time. Finally, Athena set down her empty glass.

"I can't believe it's over."

Janey leaned closer, one hand refilling Athena's drink while the other laid gently on top of hers. "It's over," she murmured softly. "We're safe. We're all safe, and free, and it's because of you."

Athena winced, and Janey felt her hand tense. "Don't say that. I didn't...it wasn't like...gah!" She pulled her hand out from under Janey's to grab the glass and empty it in one pull. "I didn't want to be a hero. I just..."

Athena shook her head. Janey smiled sadly. "Hey." Athena's eyes flicked toward hers. "Can't speak for anyone else...but I'm glad you were here."

Athena almost smiled. Janey refilled her glass again, and this time she took a measured sip, eyes occasionally going back to her drinking buddy. The silence was thick, somewhere in the miasma between awkward and comfortable. And then, suddenly, Athena blurted out "I like your scars."

Janey's eyebrows rose in surprise even as Athena's cheeks paled.

"I'm sorry. I don't...that wasn't..."

She went quiet when Janey's hand came to rest more fully on top of hers. She'd taken off her gauntlets and the outer layer of her armor, and Janey was surprised by how warm her skin was. "Hey, hey, no darlin', it's all right. Thank you."

As Janey stroked the back of her hand with her thumb, Athena's cheeks regained their color and then some. She took another sip from her drink, then licked her lips. "My entire life people have been lying to me. Atlas, Jack..." Athena's eyes flicked up to meet hers again. "Everything about you is so honest. I wish I could be like that."

Janey shook her head. "Darlin', you can. You are."

Athena flinched, and her gaze returned to the moon. A herd of shugguraths was floating gently across the horizon, spots of blue and orange against the dust. "I killed my sister," Athena said.

Janey's eyes went wide, but she didn't say anything. There was another moment of silence before Athena continued, rolling her glass between her fingers as she stared into the purple eddies. "When I was...after I was with Atlas, I managed to find Jess. I made the mistake of telling my commanding officer. A few days before we'd planned to meet up, my squad was sent on a mission. Nighttime raid, thermal vision only. When we were clear I took my visor off, and..." Janey was trying not to stare in shock and horror, but Athena just shrugged. "That was when I left."

Janey swallowed, her hand tightening its gentle grip on Athena's. "Athena...I know life hasn't been fair to you, but....my dear lady, you are an amazing woman, and if you're strong enough to make it through all this I don't think there's anything—"

Athena surged up and kissed her.

Janey's heart lurched in her chest, her lips numbly unable to respond to the hot, quivering touch for a few critical seconds before her brain screamed "The woman of your dreams is kissing you, you idiot, kiss her back!" By then, however, Athena was already stumbling to her feet.

"I'm sorry! I can't...I'm so sorry, I can't believe I did that, I don't—"

The only thing that kept her from running from the hangar was the amount of alcohol in her system...and the firm grip of Janey's hand around her wrist. Athena turned, cheeks on fire, probably expecting to get slapped. But Janey was grinning. Her hands reached up to cup those burning cheeks and turn Athena's eyes up toward hers.

"Athena, it's okay. It's okay. You can kiss me, it's okay...I want you to kiss me, you know that, don't you? I like you, I want you, and that's okay." Athena shook her head gently, dazedly, and then collapsed into Janey's arms just like she had when she'd arrived. Just like before, Janey took deep breaths, stroking Athena's back until she started to mimic them.

"I've never done that," Athena mumbled into her chest, and Janey shook her head.

"Shh, shh darlin', it's okay. You're...you're a little out of sorts right now. Why don't we just work on gettin' you in bed, and we can talk tomorrow?" Athena nodded; Janey could already feel the last of the energy she'd burned up with that display leaving her. Janey practically had to carry her up the stairs, to her private room attached to the shop. Athena was asleep before her head even got to the pillow.

Janey stepped back, watching the sleeping Vault hunter with a fond smile; well, she had always planned to get Athena into her bed. She shook her head and started to clear off the old easy chair she mostly used for storing parts these days, since it was now the most comfortable place in the apartment left to sleep. Part of her couldn't help but be worried, the nagging little voice in the back of her head that said she'd only had one shot at love and since that ended in tragedy she'd put off every woman she'd fancied by coming on too strong. Hell, she'd done the same thing to Athena, practically throwing herself on her when they first met, and yet...

And yet Athena liked her scars. And yet when Athena was at her most vulnerable, her first instinct was to go for the kiss. And yet...

Janey curled up in the chair, watching Athena sleep; she'd seen a lot of things in Athena's face, but she'd never seen her look peaceful before. When she fell asleep too, it was with a smile.


End file.
